Tired of dealing with hair sticking to the cushions and carpet, I decided to purchase laminate flooring and a couch that hair just brushes off of. This means some type of leather, vinyl, or blend. The couch I was planning to buy is a discounted black blend pillow couch that provides great lumbar support. Unfortunately, a couple of people have advised me against it saying the dog's claws will destroy it. Looks like I'm going to have to teach my dogs to stay off the couch, but it won't be easy since they're used to getting up there and the soon to be hard floor will make them want to lay on furniture even more. Can scratches be covered with shoe polish or does that come off on clothing even when dry? Is there a type of slick surface couch dog claws can't destroy? If so, what is it made out of?

What about a blanket or throw to put over it? This is what my wife did with our sofa since we moved. It was downstairs where the dogs weren't allowed before we moved. It's microfiber I think, so it collects hair. Grim isn't allowed on it anyway, but the old girl still gets on it at night.

We have leather for that very reason,, unlike vinyl, leather is very tough and Nala's claws don't damage it at all. We do try to keep her off of the couch though. Leather is very easy to vacuum the dog hair off.

I've have a USED heavy English leather couch and two chairs that I bought in 1988 ... they've been thru 13 dogs (Bo wasn't allowed to get on furniture) and are still in usable condition ... the couch is about ready for replacement.

If you get leather, make sure it is all leather...not just bonded leather (leather bonded to a "pleather" base). Our all leather couch has gotten a couple of scratches which I am able to just use shoe polish to fix. Our bonded leather couch has taken a HUGE beating. Granted, I bought it in 2000, moved it internationally and three times across the USA and we've had several dogs jumping on it the whole time we have owned it. It IS starting to show severe wear and we'll probably keep it a few more years and get a full leather sofa and loveseat next. I would also get a darker finish. My poor "mushroom" colored sofa looks really dirty now too. To get it clean would require more elbow grease than I can muster. I just spot clean the muddy spots as needed.

We got cheap vinyl from Big Lots. It was less than $500 for couch and loveseat.
We do not let the dogs up there.
We have ample bedding for them including nest style beds, etc., on the floor, and they are staying down there.
This is because of a few things, 1) big dogs over 30lb. don't belong on the couch anyway, 2) the dogs destroyed my last couch/loveseat set and 3) being on couch and jumping down are bad for Doxie backs.
They like piling up on the floor anyway, curled up in their nest beds.

I had an Italian leather sofa/loveseat/chairs for "years",,dogs all over it, never got a claw mark /toe thru it, cats on the other hand if they use it for a scratching post the cats can ruin it before a dog ever will.

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